EP2653213B1 - Verfahren zur Bereitstellung eines befeuchteten Gasstromes - Google Patents

Verfahren zur Bereitstellung eines befeuchteten Gasstromes Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2653213B1
EP2653213B1 EP12002825.3A EP12002825A EP2653213B1 EP 2653213 B1 EP2653213 B1 EP 2653213B1 EP 12002825 A EP12002825 A EP 12002825A EP 2653213 B1 EP2653213 B1 EP 2653213B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
gas stream
moisture
humidified
point
gas
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP2653213A1 (de
Inventor
Anna K. Wehr-Aukland
John Lewis Green
Donald James Bowe
Robert Scott Albro
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Air Products and Chemicals Inc
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Air Products and Chemicals Inc
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F23/00—Mixing according to the phases to be mixed, e.g. dispersing or emulsifying
    • B01F23/20—Mixing gases with liquids
    • B01F23/21—Mixing gases with liquids by introducing liquids into gaseous media
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F23/00—Mixing according to the phases to be mixed, e.g. dispersing or emulsifying
    • B01F23/10—Mixing gases with gases
    • B01F23/12—Mixing gases with gases with vaporisation of a liquid
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F23/00—Mixing according to the phases to be mixed, e.g. dispersing or emulsifying
    • B01F23/10—Mixing gases with gases
    • B01F23/19—Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams; Arrangements, e.g. comprising controlling means
    • B01F23/191—Mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams; Arrangements, e.g. comprising controlling means characterised by the construction of the controlling means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F23/00—Mixing according to the phases to be mixed, e.g. dispersing or emulsifying
    • B01F23/80—After-treatment of the mixture
    • B01F23/802—Cooling the mixture
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F35/00—Accessories for mixers; Auxiliary operations or auxiliary devices; Parts or details of general application
    • B01F35/20—Measuring; Control or regulation
    • B01F35/21—Measuring
    • B01F35/2135—Humidity, e.g. moisture content

Definitions

  • the present invention provides a method for producing a humidified gas stream with a precisely controlled moisture content.
  • Humidified gases such as nitrogen, non-cryogenically generated nitrogen, hydrogen, air, oxygen-enriched air, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and mixtures thereof are widely employed by chemical, thermal, metallurgical, electronics, laser processing, fuel cells, and food processing industries to enhance chemical reactions, weld and spray metallic and ceramic materials by thermal and plasma techniques, braze and sinter metallic components, refine ferrous and nonferrous metals and metal alloys, enhance combustion, provide desired physical and mechanical properties to metals and metal alloys, solder electronic components, deposit oxides of various elements by chemical vapor and physical vapor deposition techniques, control composition of gases used in lasers, manipulate composition of gases used in fuel cells, enhance shelf life of perishable food items such as vegetables and fruits, and package food stuffs.
  • Humidified gases are also used to control the environment and adjust comfort level for humans such as by producing and supplying synthetic breathable atmospheres and medicinal gases.
  • a gas stream is split into two separate streams; one passing through a humidifier and the other by-passing the humidifier.
  • the two streams are then combined and the humidity level of the combined stream is measured, such as by a relative humidity measuring instrument.
  • the humidity level of the combined stream is then controlled either by regulating the flow rate of the gas stream passing through the humidifier or by regulating the flow rate of the gas stream by-passing the humidifier.
  • gas streams are humidified simply by adding steam and regulating the humidity level by the extent of steam addition.
  • Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0318216 which describes the addition of from about 1 to about 10 vol% endothermic gas ("endo-gas”) to an atmosphere comprising nitrogen and hydrogen in order to form an atmosphere that is oxidizing to belt material but reducing to metal parts in a sintering furnace.
  • endo-gas endothermic gas
  • a further humidification technique is set forth in U.S. Patent No. 6,123,324 , which describes introducing a controlled amount of water through a metering device into a gas-liquid contactor packed with inert non-porous packing material, introducing a known and precise flow rate of gas into the contactor, and shearing and vaporizing the water stream with the gas stream in the contactor. While the process provides a precise amount of moisture, it requires careful control of the amount of water added and specialized equipment that is operated under pressure. Additional humidification techniques are described in patent applications WO 2012/013324 and JP 2008-275185 .
  • US 5,348,592 discloses a method for producing substantially moisture- and oxygen-free, nitrogen-hydrogen atmospheres suitable for annealing, hardening, brazing, and sinterning ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys. Residual oxygen is converted to moisture by reaction with hydrogen in a catalytic reactor.
  • EP 2 218 496 is directed to a method and apparatus for stable and adjustable gas humidification. This humidification is achieved by separating a gas stream into two streams and humidifying one of the gas streams. The desired level of humidification of the final product gas stream is achieved by adjusting the relative flow rates of said two gas streams.
  • a process for moisture-free atmosphere brazing of ferrous materials is disclosed in EP 0 704 273 .
  • the moisture needed to provide good braze flow and braze joint quality is formed in-situ in the heating zone of the furnace by the reaction between hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
  • Gases have been humidified with a known amount of moisture without relying on humidity measuring devices by bubbling them through water in a bubble-type humidifier, or "bubbler.”
  • the moisture content of the gas stream humidified by passing through a bubbler is calculated from the operating conditions such as water temperature and total pressure of the bubbler. For example, the vapor pressure of water or moisture in the gas stream is determined from the water temperature. The vapor pressure of water and total operating pressure information is then used to calculate partial pressure of water or moisture content in the gas stream.
  • the above calculation inherently assumes that the gas stream is saturated with moisture. If the gas stream is not saturated with moisture, then the calculated moisture content value will always be higher than the real moisture content in the gas stream. This is the main reason that bubblers are seldom used in applications requiring precise, consistent and reliable humidity levels.
  • bubblers Numerous changes in the design of bubblers have been made over the years to provide precise, consistent and reliable humidity level in gases. These improvements have been focused toward improving gas-liquid contact and maintaining constant water level and water temperature in the bubbler. Some of the new bubbler designs do provide a humidified gas stream with precise, consistent and reliable humidity levels, provided flow rate of the gas stream is maintained constant. Therefore, bubblers are sized and designed to provide a fixed flow rate of a humidified gas stream. They, however, fail to humidify a gas stream with precise, consistent and reliable humidity level if the flow rate of the humidified gas stream changes with time or if the moisture level requirement in the humidified gas stream changes with time.
  • the present invention provides a method for humidifying a gas stream with a precise, consistent, and reliable amount of moisture.
  • Gas streams humidified in accordance with the present invention are useful in a variety of applications, including annealing, brazing, and sintering of metals and alloys, reflow soldering of electronic components, glass-to-metal sealing, chemical processes, chemical vapor deposition of metal oxides, laser processing, fuel cells, etc.
  • a method for providing a humidified gas stream to a point of usage is provided in accordance with claim 1.
  • a "dry" gas stream is one having less than or equal to 10 ppm moisture. Preferred embodiments of the method are described in claims 2 to 4.
  • the predetermined amount of moisture is the amount of moisture (such as water vapor) required to increase the dew point at the point of usage (such as in a furnace) to a desired dew point.
  • dry gas is humidified to excess in a simple, commercially available humidification device and thereafter cooled to a precise temperature so that the excess moisture in the humidified gas condenses and is removed, resulting in a humidified gas stream having a known and easily controlled amount of moisture that is attained in a cost-effective manner and without requiring precise control of the amount of moisture added to the dry gas in the humidification device.
  • the dry gas comprises nitrogen
  • the moisture is water vapor
  • the point of usage is a continuous sintering furnace having a steel conveyor belt.
  • the water vapor supplied by the humidified nitrogen is sufficient to increase the dew point within the furnace to a point where the atmosphere is oxidizing to the belt but reducing to metal parts being sintered in the furnace, thereby extending the service life of the belt, such as from about -35 °C to about -45 °C.
  • directional terms may be used in the specification and claims to describe portions of the present invention (e.g., upper, lower, left, right, etc.). These directional terms are merely intended to assist in describing and claiming the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any way.
  • reference numerals that are introduced in the specification in association with a drawing figure may be repeated in one or more subsequent figures without additional description in the specification in order to provide context for other features.
  • Humidified gases such as nitrogen, non-cryogenically generated nitrogen, hydrogen, air, oxygen-enriched air, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and mixtures thereof are widely employed by chemical, thermal, metallurgical, electronics, laser processing, fuel cells, and food processing industries to enhance chemical reactions, weld and spray metallic and ceramic materials by thermal and plasma techniques, braze and sinter metallic components, refine ferrous and nonferrous metals and metal alloys, enhance combustion, provide desired physical and mechanical properties to metals and metal alloys, solder electronic components, deposit oxides of various elements by chemical vapor and physical vapor deposition techniques, control composition of gases used in lasers, manipulate composition of gases used in fuel cells, enhance shelf life of perishable food items such as vegetables and fruits, and package food stuffs.
  • Humidified gases are also used to control the environment and adjust comfort level for humans such as by producing and supplying synthetic breathable atmospheres and medicinal gases.
  • Humidified gases produced in accordance with the present invention are especially suited for use in situations requiring comparatively low and accurate amounts of moisture in the gas provided to a point of usage, such as in continuous furnaces, where the addition of water vapor creates an atmosphere that extends the service life of conveyor belts used in the furnace.
  • the method of the present invention has many benefits, which include cost efficiency, ease of installation, the use of commercially available components, no minimum required amount of moisture added, and no required heating in the humidifier or the gas line.
  • the method of the present invention is directed to providing a humidified gas stream to a point of usage.
  • a gas stream is provided and at least a portion of the gas stream is humidified to excess in a humidification device.
  • the humidified gas stream is then cooled in a cooling device to a predetermined temperature and delivered to the point of usage.
  • the phrase "humidified to excess" means that the gas is humidified to a point at which it comprises an amount of moisture greater than a predetermined amount.
  • the predetermined amount of moisture will be the amount required to achieve and maintain the desired dew point at the point of usage, and the gas is humidified in the humidification device to such an extent that it comprises more than that predetermined amount of moisture.
  • the required amount of moisture can be readily calculated based upon the total gas flow to the point of usage, the starting dew point at the point of usage, and the desired dew point at the point of usage.
  • the process used to humidify the gas does not need to be precise so long as the gas is humidified to excess, which allows for the use of a humidification device that is simpler and more cost effective than many previous systems.
  • the predetermined amount of moisture is the amount required to achieve a dew point at the point of usage within the range of from -60 °C to +90 °C, such as a dew point within the range from -30 to -50 °C, or from -35 to -45 °C, or from -25 to 0 °C, or from -20 to +10 °C, or from -20 to +30 °C, or from 0 to 30 °C, or from 5 to 25 °C, or from 40 to 70 °C, or from 50 to 60 °C.
  • the predetermined amount of moisture is the amount required to raise the dew point at the point of usage by at least 5 °C, or preferably by at least 10 °C, or more preferably by at least 15 °C.
  • the humidified stream is cooled to a predetermined temperature using a cooling device.
  • the predetermined temperature should be lower than the temperature of the humidified gas exiting the humidification device and is the dew point at which excess moisture in the gas condenses, resulting in a cooled humidified gas having precisely the amount of moisture required to achieve and maintain the desired dew point at the point of usage.
  • Any cooling device that maintains a constant and accurate temperature of the resulting cooled humidified gas stream may be used.
  • the total amount of moisture delivered by the cooled humidified gas stream to the point of usage depends upon the volumetric flow rate of the gas stream and the temperature to which it is cooled.
  • the amount of moisture provided in the method described herein can be readily adjusted by changing the flow rate of the gas stream entering the humidification device or by changing the temperature to which the humidified gas stream is cooled in the cooling device.
  • both the flow rate and the cooling temperature may be adjusted.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiments of the present invention is presented in Figures 1 and 2 . It should be noted that the figures are simplified flow diagrams and, in some instances, do not show various pieces of auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, and valves. Because one having ordinary skill in the art would recognize easily the need for and location of such auxiliary equipment, its omission is appropriate and facilitates the simplification of the figures.
  • auxiliary equipment such as pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, and valves.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention exemplified by system 100.
  • a dry gas stream 102 is provided. At least a portion of dry gas stream 102 is directed to a humidification device 110. Within the humidification device 110, moisture is added to the at least a portion of dry gas stream 102, resulting in humidified gas stream 112, which exits the humidification device and is directed to a cooling device 120. Within the cooling device, the humidified gas stream 112 is cooled to a predetermined temperature, resulting in cooled humidified gas stream 122. Optionally, liquid that condenses out of the humidified gas stream as a result of cooling may be recycled from the cooling device to the humidification device via recycle liquid stream 124.
  • the condensed liquid may be collected and used for a variety of other applications.
  • cooled humidified gas stream 122 is then directed to the point of usage 130.
  • at least a portion of dry gas stream 102 is humidified via humidification device 110 to excess.
  • the amount of moisture required to be delivered to the point of usage 130 for an intended application is predetermined and dry gas stream 102 is humidified to a point such that the amount of moisture in the gas is more than the predetermined amount required.
  • the amount of moisture added to dry gas stream 102 by the humidification device 110 need not be accurate or stable, so long as it exceeds the predetermined amount of moisture required.
  • any carrier gas suitable for the desired application and point of usage may be employed in the method described herein.
  • exemplary carrier gases may comprise, nitrogen, non-cryogenically generated nitrogen, hydrogen, air, oxygen-enriched air, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, and mixtures thereof.
  • the gas comprises nitrogen.
  • the gas comprises nitrogen and from about 1 to about 15 vol%, or from about 2 to about 10 vol%, or from about 3 to about 7 vol% of a reducing gas such as hydrogen.
  • a blend of hydrogen and nitrogen it may be preferable for safety reasons to humidify only the nitrogen and add the desired amount of hydrogen to the system separately.
  • the hydrogen may be added at any location within the system such that it is mixed with the nitrogen after the nitrogen has been humidified and cooled but upstream of the point of usage.
  • the liquid used to supply moisture to the dry gas comprises water.
  • the liquid may be heated if necessary to provide the required amount of moisture to the carrier gas.
  • a benefit of the method of the present invention is that the required amount of moisture can be added to the gas without requiring the addition of heat.
  • any humidification device capable of humidifying a gas stream to excess at the temperature and pressure of the system and the flow rate required by the point of usage is suitable for use in the method of the present invention.
  • commercially available (and relatively inexpensive) humidification devices may be employed.
  • Humidification devices are generally available commercially that are capable of humidifying gas streams (such as, for example, a gas stream having a flow rate of 566.3 l/h (20 standard cubic feet per hour) to a wide range of dew points, such as from about -60 °C to about +90 °C.
  • the humidification device is one in which the gas stream to be humidified is passed through a liquid bath, such as a bubble-type humidifier.
  • a liquid bath such as a bubble-type humidifier.
  • dry gas is bubbled through the liquid so as to increase the interface between the liquid and the gas.
  • the dry gas adsorbs the liquid in vapor form.
  • Exemplary bubble humidifiers are available commercially in a variety of sizes and from a variety of manufacturers.
  • the humidification device is a bubble humidifier having a capacity from 1.89 to 37.85 l (0.5 to 10 gallons), or from 3.79 to 18.93 l (1 to 5 gallons), or from 7.57 to 15.14 l (2 to 4 gallons).
  • the humidification device operates at ambient temperature and pressure, with little to no pressure change across the humidification device.
  • the pressure change across the humidification device is less than 0.207 bar gauge (3 psig), or less than 0.138 bar gauge (2 psig), or less than 0.069 bar gauge (1 psig).
  • the moisture concentration for example water vapor concentration
  • the method of the present invention provides additional ease of use and control because there is no need to measure or adjust the pressure of the gas stream or the pressure within the humidification device during operation.
  • substantially equivalent means that the pressure of the gas prior to humidification is within 5%, preferably within 3%, preferably within 1 % of the pressure at the point of usage.
  • cooling device capable of cooling a humidified gas stream to a precise and stable temperature is suitable for use in the method described herein.
  • Such cooling units are available commercially, and include refrigerators and sample gas coolers.
  • the cooling device is a sample gas cooler.
  • Exemplary sample gas coolers are available from, for example, Buhler Technologies LLC.
  • the humidification method described herein is used to supply humidified gases to a variety of points of usage for many applications, because they can be configured to provide comparatively large or small amounts of moisture depending upon the requirements of a given point of usage.
  • the humidification method of the invention may be used in other processes requiring an increase in the dew point of the atmosphere such as brazing, decarburization and oxidation of steel components, and manufacture of glass-to-metal seals.
  • exemplary applications include, but are not limited to, delubrication in powdered metal sintering, hydrocarbon removal in paste-based furnace brazing, hydrocarbon removal from rolling or stamping operations, decarburization and/or annealing of electrical steel strips and laminations, oxide coating of electrical laminations, oxide coating or stream treating of powdered metal components, black oxide coating of structural parts for rust prevention or cosmetic finishes, oxide coating of steel strips to prevent sticking between layers, controlled oxidizing atmospheres for matched and compression glass-to-metal sealing, oxidation control in aluminum powder atomization and storage, controlling surface finish of galvanized steel and controlling zinc fumes, sintering ceramic materials, and production of ferrite carbon brushes.
  • the humidification device and cooling device employed should be selected accordingly to accommodate a higher gas flow rate and more unstable cooling conditions.
  • the vapor concentration required in the humidified gas reaches or exceeds the saturation level at ambient temperatures, heating or insulation of the humidified gas line may also be required to prevent condensation.
  • the required dew point at the point of usage varies for the foregoing applications, and can be readily determined by those skilled in the art.
  • a dew point from about +4 to about +21 °C may desirable for delubrication applications
  • a dew point from about -17 to +4 °C may be desirable for matched glass-to-metal sealing applications
  • a dew point from about -23 to about -6 °C may be desirable for compression glass-to-metal sealing applications
  • a dew point of about +15 to about +18 °C may be desirable for degassing or decarburization
  • a dew point from about +50 to about +60 °C may be desirable for oxidation applications
  • saturation may be desirable for black oxide coating applications.
  • total gas flow to the point of usage will also vary widely, and can also be readily determined by those skilled in the art.
  • a total gas flow rate of 83.56 to 111.42 m 2 /h (75 to 100 cubic feet per hour per inch) of belt width may be desirable, while for batch type furnaces a flow rate equivalent to about 2 to 3 volume changes per hour may be desirable.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic diagramof embodiments of the present invention that are best understood with reference to system 100 depicted in Figure 1 .
  • elements of the system that are the same as elements in system 100 are given a reference numeral increased by 200 for each successive figure.
  • the humidification device 110 of system 100 is the same as the humidification device 310 of system 300 ( Figure 2 ).
  • some features of these additional embodiments that are shared with the first embodiment are numbered in Figure 2 but are not repeated in the specification.
  • one application for the method described herein is to humidify the atmosphere in a continuous furnace so as to create an oxidizing environment and, in turn, increase the service life of belts used in the furnace.
  • achieving an oxidizing environment requires maintaining the dew point within the furnace at a temperature within the range of about -35 °C to about -45 °C, preferably within the range of about -37.5 °C to about -42.5 °C, such as about -40 °C.
  • the amount of moisture required to maintain a dew point within that range can be delivered via a slip stream having a flow rate from 339.8 to 566,3 l/h(12 to 20 scfh) that is humidified and subsequently cooled in a cooling device having a setpoint within the range from about 7 to about 13 °C.
  • the method of the present invention may be controlled via a closed-loop, in which the moisture concentration (dew point or humidity level) at the point of usage is measured and either the flow rate of the humidified gas stream or the temperature to which the humidified gas stream is cooled is adjusted based upon the measured moisture concentration.
  • both the flow rate and the temperature setpoint of the cooling device may be adjusted based upon the measured moisture concentration.
  • the desired moisture concentration at the point of usage will be known, and the steps of measuring the actual moisture concentration and adjusting the gas flow rate and/or cooling temperature may be repeated until the desired moisture concentration and the measured (actual) moisture concentration are the same or substantially the same.
  • substantially the same means that the desired concentration and actual concentration are within 5%, preferably within 3%, more preferably within 1 % of one another.
  • Figure 2 illustrates embodiments of the present invention employing closed-loop control.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention exemplified by system 300.
  • an analyzer 332 measures moisture concentration (i.e., the dew point or humidity) at the point of usage 330.
  • the analyzer transmits the measured moisture concentration to an analyzer indicator controller (AIC) 340.
  • AIC analyzer indicator controller
  • the AIC 340 then either adjusts control valve 306, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the dry gas stream 302, or adjusts the temperature setpoint of the cooling device 320 via temperature controller 324.
  • the AIC 340 may adjust both the flow rate of the dry gas stream 302 and the temperature setpoint of the cooling device 320 via control valve 306 and temperature controller 324, respectively.
  • a humidification system according to the present invention was assembled and tested to verify that nitrogen streams having flow rates ranging from 339.8 to 566.3 l/h (12 to 20 scfh) could be accurately humidified to dew points from 7 to 13 °C.
  • the system included a 11.36 l (3 gallon) bubble-type CM humidifier (with an optional heater) and an EGK 1 ⁇ 2 sample gas cooler from Buhler Technologies. The system was tested using both heated and unheated water in the humidifier, with water temperatures ranging from 18 to 61 °C. Data was collected over 100 hours, for nitrogen flow rates ranging from 339.8 to 566.3 l/h (12 to 20 scfh) and gas cooler settings ranging from 7 to 13 °C.
  • the system maintained the dew point of the humidified nitrogen stream within +/- 0.50 °C. Based upon an initial dew point inside the high heat zone of a furnace of -55 °C and a total gas flow (N 2 + H 2 ) to the furnace of 49554 l/h (1750 scfh), it was determined that system as tested would be able to reliably provide a sufficient amount of moisture to raise the dew point within the furnace from -55 °C to the desired dew point of -40 °C.
  • Benefits of the method described herein include one or more of the following: operation at ambient pressure and/or temperature, little or no pressure change across the humidification device, ease of installation, no minimum limit on the amount of moisture added, use of cost-effective and/or commercially available humidification and cooling devices, provision of an optimum level of humidification, the ability to hold a dew point constant over a wide range of ambient temperatures, and, in most cases, no heating requirement in the humidifier or gas line. Further, the method described herein can be separate from and independent of humidification systems used for delubrication, and it does not require incremental atmosphere flows or change the flow balance within a furnace. Finally, the method according to the invention can be easily employed in conjunction with existing gas supply piping to a furnace or other point of usage.

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  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Furnace Details (AREA)
  • Air Humidification (AREA)
  • Tunnel Furnaces (AREA)

Claims (4)

  1. Verfahren zum Bereitstellen von einem befeuchteten Gasstrom (112) zu einer Verwendungsstelle (130), umfassend:
    a. Bereitstellen von einem Strom aus Trockengas (102);
    b. Leiten von mindestens einem Teil von dem Trockengasstrom (102) zu einer Befeuchtungsvorrichtung (110);
    c. Befeuchteten von mindestens einem Teil von dem Trockengasstrom (102), um einen befeuchteten Gasstrom (112) bereitzustellen, der eine Feuchtigkeitsmenge aufweist, die eine vorbestimmte Menge übersteigt; wobei die vorbestimmte Feuchtigkeitsmenge die Menge ist, welche erforderlich ist, um den Taupunkt an der Verwendungsstelle (130) um mindestens 5 °C anzuheben;
    d. Leiten von dem befeuchteten Gasstrom (112) zu einer Kühlvorrichtung (120);
    e. Kühlen von dem befeuchteten Gasstrom (112) auf eine vorbestimmte Temperatur; wobei die vorbestimmte Temperatur niedriger als die Temperatur von dem befeuchteten Gasstrom (112) ist, der die Befeuchtungsvorrichtung (110) verlässt, und die vorbestimmte Temperatur der Taupunkt ist, an dem überschüssige Feuchtigkeit in dem Gas kondensiert, und
    f. Leiten von dem gekühlten befeuchteten Gasstrom (122) zu der Verwendungsstelle (130).
  2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Feuchtigkeit Wasserdampf ist und die vorbestimmte Feuchtigkeitsmenge gleich der Wasserdampfmenge ist, welche erforderlich ist, um den Taupunkt an der Verwendungsstelle (130) auf einen gewünschten Taupunkt zu erhöhen und wobei die Verwendungsstelle (130) ein kontinuierlicher Sinterofen ist und der gewünschte Taupunkt an dem kontinuierlichen Sinterofen bei -37,2 bis -42,8 °C (-35 bis -45 °F) liegt.
  3. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Befeuchtungsvorrichtung (110) den mindestens einen Teil von dem Trockengasstrom (102) befeuchtet, indem das Trockengas (102) durch ein Flüssigkeitsbad geführt wird.
  4. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Befeuchtungsvorrichtung (110) bei Umgebungstemperatur und -druck arbeitet.
EP12002825.3A 2012-04-17 2012-04-23 Verfahren zur Bereitstellung eines befeuchteten Gasstromes Active EP2653213B1 (de)

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US13/448,613 US9327249B2 (en) 2012-04-17 2012-04-17 Systems and methods for humidifying gas streams

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JP6131919B2 (ja) * 2014-07-07 2017-05-24 Ｊｆｅスチール株式会社 合金化溶融亜鉛めっき鋼板の製造方法
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CN111492086B (zh) * 2017-12-22 2022-05-03 杰富意钢铁株式会社 熔融镀锌钢板的制造方法及连续熔融镀锌装置
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US20130270724A1 (en) 2013-10-17
US9327249B2 (en) 2016-05-03

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